Dear Friends and Colleagues,

Today we celebrate the 34th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).  This landmark civil rights law prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities by ensuring access and equal opportunity.  The anniversary’s significance has prompted advocates worldwide to recognize July as Disability Pride Month, celebrating the advocacy movement of people with disabilities which triggered the passage of the ADA, and highlighting its impact on people’s lives.  I was honored to walk alongside self-advocates in the Disability Pride Parade in Kingston hosted by the Resource Center for Community Living this past weekend and am excited to be at the Disability Pride Festival in Buffalo today to celebrate the disability community and to honor their experiences and contributions.  It is disability advocates, like those who defiantly crawled up the Capitol steps in 1990 when the ADA was being voted on to demonstrate the discrimination people face in accessing public spaces, who continue to push us toward a truly inclusive and accessible community.

In honor of the anniversary of the ADA and Disability Pride, we are so proud to launch the new podcast, “Accessing Life,” where self-advocates will be talking about these issues and so much more.  Produced by Michael Orzel, who is an OPWDD staff member who has a developmental disability, this podcast series features the voices of lived experience in the public conversation about disability.  I am so excited to see New Yorkers with developmental disabilities use this platform to express themselves and discuss their daily challenges and successes while learning from each other and teaching the rest of us.

While we have made tremendous progress since the signing of the ADA in 1990, so much more remains to be done to achieve true equality and accessibility for people with disabilities.  Many people with developmental disabilities still experience stereotyping and discrimination and face barriers every day accessing housing, employment, a quality education, and health care.  My hope is that the disability pride movement and reflection on the ADA highlights the importance of continuing to push us toward a truly inclusive and accessible community and reminds each of us that disability is a beautiful part of human diversity.

As we celebrate the ADA, I invite you to join us in our celebration of Disability Pride by sharing your stories of how the ADA has impacted your life using the #ThanksToTheADA hashtag and following the ADA National Network’s campaign.

Happy ADA Anniversary to all!  Let’s keep on fighting.

Sincerely,

Willow Baer
Acting Commissioner

Pictured are "Accessing Life" podcast hosts and OPWDD staff members, B.J. Stasio (left) and Chester Finn (right).

https://opwdd.ny.gov/news/CelebratingADA34